1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dye-sensitized solar cell, and more specifically to an output voltage control.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dye-sensitized solar cells (hereinafter referred to as “DSC”) are each structured in such a way that a generation electrode (negative electrode) that forms a semiconductor layer (generation layer) on which a sensitizing dye is supported is arranged to face an opposing electrode (positive electrode) that forms a catalyst metal, with an electrolyte-containing electrolytic solution contained between the opposing electrodes. When light is irradiated on to the DSC, the dye adsorbed to titanium oxide that constitutes the generation layer is electronically excited and the excited electrons are injected into the conductor of titanium oxide, and consequently the electrons migrate from titanium oxide to a clear conductive film of ITO or FTO and can be removed as electrical current. If there is only one dye-sensitized solar cell, however, the output voltage is 0.7 V at the maximum and accordingly the voltage must be stepped up using a step-up circuit, etc., before the solar cell can be connected to and used with electrical equipment.
To solve the aforementioned problem, for example, Patent Literature 1 specified below discloses technology whereby a pseudo-module is prepared as a structure comprising two adjacent dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion elements, where a clear conductive layer on one dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion element is electrically connected to a counter electrode on the other dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion element in the space provided between the elements.